Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
  • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
  • B29B17/04—Disintegrating plastics, e.g. by milling
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
  • B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
  • B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
  • B02C18/06—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives
  • B02C18/14—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives within horizontal containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
  • B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
  • B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
  • B02C18/06—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives
  • B02C18/14—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives within horizontal containers
  • B02C18/142—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives within horizontal containers with two or more inter-engaging rotatable cutter assemblies
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
  • B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
  • B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
  • B02C18/06—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives
  • B02C18/16—Details
  • B02C18/18—Knives; Mountings thereof
  • B02C18/182—Disc-shaped knives
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
  • B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
  • B02C23/00—Auxiliary methods or auxiliary devices or accessories specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating not provided for in preceding groups or not specially adapted to apparatus covered by a single preceding group
  • B02C23/08—Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating
  • B02C23/10—Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating with separator arranged in discharge path of crushing or disintegrating zone
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
  • B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
  • B02C2201/00—Codes relating to disintegrating devices adapted for specific materials
  • B02C2201/04—Codes relating to disintegrating devices adapted for specific materials for used tyres
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
  • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
  • B29B17/04—Disintegrating plastics, e.g. by milling
  • B29B2017/0424—Specific disintegrating techniques; devices therefor
  • B29B2017/0448—Cutting discs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
  • B29K2021/00—Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
  • B29L2030/00—Pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
  • Y02W30/52—Mechanical processing of waste for the recovery of materials, e.g. crushing, shredding, separation or disassembly
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
  • Y02W30/62—Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S241/00—Solid material comminution or disintegration
  • Y10S241/31—Rubber preparation

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to rubber recycling apparatus and the size reduction of other materials, and more particularly relates to rubber tire reducing and recycling systems.
• Machines are therefore in existence which shred, or tear, or in some other way reduce the tires into smaller pieces for eventual use as a fuel source.
• U.S. Patent No. 5,411,216 As disclosed therein, a pair of rotating shafts are provided with teeth which intermesh as the shafts rotate. The rubber is torn apart as the shafts rotate against each other in opposite directions, literally pulling the rubber apart. However, by employing a pulling action a relatively large amount of power is required to pull the rubber in opposite directions until the pulling force is beyond the tensile strength of the rubber, and the rubber effectively "snaps" apart. Such a process results in non-uniformly sized particles.
• By providing the teeth in series of arcuate patterns a relatively small number of teeth in each series shear against the fixed cutting surface at any given time. As opposed to prior art systems which cut along the entire length of the shaft at all times, this reduced number of cutting points dramatically reduces energy costs.
• the leading edge of each tooth engages the fixed cutting surface initially and performs the first cutting of the rubber.
• the present invention provides a shearing action with dramatically reduced energy requirements.
• Figure 1 is a schematic view of the overall system of the present invention
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the 1" tire reduction machine
• Figure 3 is an end view of the embodiment shown in Figure 2;
• Figure 4 is a sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 3 taken along line C-C;
• Figure 5A is an enlarged sectional view of the shafts of the 1" machine
• Figure 5B is a enlarged partial sectional view of one shaft of the 1" machine showing the individual plates being disposed in arcuate patterns on the shaft;
• Figure 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the two teeth from a 1" machine plate and their angle of engagement with the cutting bed;
• Figure 7 is a sectional perspective view of the full tire reduction machine showing the shafts partially assembled with individual toothed plates
• Figure 8 is an exploded view of the 1" machine shafts, toothed plates, spacer plates, and center bed;
• Figure 9 is a perspective view of one toothed plate from the V machine.
• Figure 10 is an end view of the fine mesh machine
• Figure 11 is partial top view of the fine mesh machine showing the adjustable side cutting bars
• Figure 12 is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment showing the replaceable cutting inserts and side cutting bars.
• recycling system 20 is configured on shop floor 22 such that input rubber 24 progresses linearly from station to station and eventually results in crumb rubber 26.
• system 20 is adapted to receive loads of input rubber 24 typically in the form of automobile tires, from incoming trucks 28.
• the input rubber 24 is initially communicated to a conveying mechanism 30 which deposits input rubber 24 into full tire reduction machine 32.
• full tire reduction machine 32 reduces input rubber 24 from full tires to reduced pieces 34 which, in the preferred embodiment, are on the order of four (4) inches by six (6) inches.
• Reduced pieces 34 are then communicated by second conveyor 36 to one (1) inch tire reduction machine 38 as will be described in further detail herein.
• One (1) inch tire machine 38 reduces pieces 34 into reduced pieces 40 which, in the preferred embodiment, are on the order of 1 in. 2 in size.
• Pieces 40 are then communicated via conveyor 42 to a third reduction machine 44 which further reduces pieces 40 to reduced pieces 43 which, in the preferred embodiment, are on the order of approximately in. 2 in size.
• Pieces 43 are then communicated via conveyor 48 to a final reduction machine 50 which performs a final reduction of the pieces 43 to crumb rubber 26.
• crumb rubber 26 Given its petroleum base, crumb rubber 26 is then able to be used, inter alia, as a fuel source.
• the present invention could also include one or more washer stations 54, and one or more magnetic removal stations 56 to remove ferrous material such as steel bands included in radial tires.
• the inventive features of the present invention are directed toward the reduction of the horsepower requirements for such a system and the production of uniformly sized and shaped particles.
• the present invention reduces the power requirements in at least three ways.
• One, the rubber is sheared by a toothed shaft rotating past a fixed surface. This results in a substantial savings in power as opposed to prior art systems which use two rotating shafts which rotate against each other and pull the rubber apart.
• the present invention uses a toothed shaft having a plurality of series of teeth disposed in arcuate patterns across the shaft so that as the shaft rotates past the fixed surface, only a limited number of teeth actually shear against the fixed surface at any given time.
• only one fourth of the teeth on any given series cut at the same time as opposed to prior art systems wherein cutting or pulling is being performed across the entire axial length of the shafts at all times.
• the teeth of the present invention are shaped so as to shear against the fixed surface at an opposing angle and therefore only a limited portion of each tooth surface cuts at any given time and thus requires reduced horsepower. This is in direct opposition to prior art devices wherein teeth cut against other teeth in parallel orientation, causing the cut to occur across the entire plane of each cutting surface and therefore requiring excessive amounts of power.
• second tire reduction station 38 is provided with rectangular housing 58 in which first shaft 60 and second shaft 62 are mounted for parallel rotation.
• each shaft 62 is provided with a plurality of series 64 of teeth 66, and a center bed 68 is mounted to housing 58 which protrudes upward so as to be disposed between shafts 60 and 62.
• Center bed 68 is provided with a top surface 70 to which a center bar 72 is removably mounted.
• Center bar 72 includes a plurality of notches 74 shaped to matingly receive teeth 66 as shafts 60 and 62 rotate.
• a hopper 94 is provided above housing 58 to receive rubber pieces 34 and direct them between shafts 60 and 62.
• side fingers 96 and 98 are provided. As best shown in Figure 4, side fingers 96 and 98 are shaped to match the profile of toothed shafts 60 and 62 and therefore fill any gaps therebetween and prevent rubber pieces 34 from passing therethrough.
• metal shaft 60 is initially provided with a plurality of keyways 102 machined therein in arcuate patterns.
• a plurality of identical plates 104 are then provided having teeth 66 on the outer circumference thereof and inner aperture 106 provided with keyways 108.
• Plates 104 can then be positioned around metal shaft 60 such that keyways 108 and 102 are proximate one another and key 110 can then be provided within keyways 102 and 108 to frictionally hold plates 104 to shaft 60.
• keyways 102 in arcuate patterns around the circumference of metal shaft 60, once the plates 104 are assembled thereon, teeth 66 will be provided in aforementioned series 64 of arcuate patterns.
• keyways 102 and keys 110 are provided at a length sufficient to accommodate two plates 104. Therefore, within each series 64, sets of two plates 104 will be positioned at each given keyway 102.
• a plurality of spacer plates 112 are also provided and mounted around metal shaft 60. Plates 104 and 112 are then compressed on shaft 60 and held in position by mechanical means such as clips 114. (See Fig. 4).
• shafts 60 and 62 are actually comprised of a number of individual toothed plates 104 wherein the individual teeth 66 are provided in arcuate patterns across the outer circumference of the shafts.
• motor 116 see Fig. 1
• gear boxes 118 see Figs. 4 and 11
• the teeth pass through notches 74 of center bar 72.
• each tooth 66 is provided with a planar cutting surface 120 having leading edge 122, side edges 124 and trailing portion 126.
• first reduction machine 32, second reduction machine 38, third reduction machine 44, and final reduction machine 50 all operate under the same principles.
• full tire reduction machine 32 is shown in Figure 7
• a portion of third reduction machine 44 is shown in Figure 9
• final reduction machine 50 is shown in Figures 10-11.
• the most significant difference among the reduction machines is the actual shape and size of the teeth, plates, spacers, and fixed cutting surfaces.
• plates 128 thereof only include 4 individual teeth 130.
• teeth 130 are sized accordingly and a fewer number of teeth 130 are provided than with plates 104 of second reduction machine 38.
• third reduction machine 44 includes a plurality of combination plates 136 which combine the functions of the toothed plates and spacer plates. As shown, combination plates 136 include a spacer section 138 which is integral with toothed section 140. In addition, it can be seen that a greater number of teeth 142 are provided thereon than with plates 104 and certainly more than as shown with plate 128. It is also important to note that the actual shearing performed by third reduction machine 44 occurs on the outside of the shafts, as will be described in detail with reference to final reduction machine 50.
• Final reduction machine 50 is shown in detail in Figures 10-11. As shown, the actual cutting in the preferred embodiment is performed on the outside of shafts 144 and 146 between fine teeth 148 and sidebars 150 and 152. Another inventive feature of the present invention is shown with reference to Figures 10-11, wherein sidebars 150 and 152 are shown to be adjustable. Each sidebar 150 and 152 is provided with a plurality of slots 154 which receive adjustable fasteners 156 in order to move sidebar 150 and 152 toward and away shafts 144 and 146 depending on the desired size of crumb rubber 26. Frames 158 are provided to receive fasteners 156. In the preferred embodiment, two sets of sidebars 150 and 152 are provided to provide for an added degree of size uniformity of crumb rubber 26.
• system 20 is provided to reduce full tires 24 to crumb rubber 26 by linearly processing the rubber through a series of four reduction machines. It is to be understood that a different number of machines can be employed to reduce the rubber, and that the actual size of the rubber pieces produced by each reduction machine can be varied.
• the inventive features of the present invention include the actual process by which the rubber is reduced and the machinery which performs the reduction in a less power demanding and more efficient manner than has heretofore been possible.
• another inventive feature of the present invention includes the reduced maintenance required for repair and resharpening of the cutting surfaces.
• the pulling action used by prior art devices places excessive strain on the cutting edges which tends to quickly dull the cutting surfaces.
• the strain placed on the cutting surfaces is reduced and, accordingly, the life of the sharpened teeth and cutting surfaces is increased.
• an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 12 of the present invention includes the provision of replaceable cutting inserts 160 which can be secured to the plates of the shafts via conventional fastener 162. Therefore, rather then remove the entire toothed shaft every time resharpening is required, the shafts can be left in place and the individual cutting inserts 160 can simply be removed and resharpened and/or replaced with a new unit.
• the replacement and resharpening of cutting surface and shafts can take a minimum of eight (8) hours and can be required as frequently as once a month. This can annualize to an approximate cost of $600,000.
• the frequency of blade resharpening is reduced and the ease with which the resharpening can occur is improved.
• the estimated cost of replacement and resharpening will equate to a reduced annual cost of approximately $150,000.
• the present invention brings to the art an improved apparatus and method for reducing full tires to recyclable crumb rubber.
• the overall horsepower requirements of the system are thereby dramatically reduced which results in dramatically reduced energy costs to the operator of the system, and thus dramatically reduced costs for crumb rubber to the eventual consumer.
• by reducing the rubber through the unique shearing process of the present invention not only is the horsepower requirement of the system reduced, but the maintenance requirements for the actual blades of the system are dramatically reduced, resulting in additional savings to the producer, and consumer as well.

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• 1997
  • 1997-05-14 US US08/856,306 patent/US5904305A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1998
  • 1998-05-11 WO PCT/US1998/009846 patent/WO1998051414A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-05-11 EP EP98921203A patent/EP0918565A4/de not_active Withdrawn

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Non-Patent Citations (1)

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